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「Oh, I got a bit carried away, I’m sorry. You wanted to know about Originator Spirits, right?」

Some time passed before the Spirit King remembered what he mentioned at first.

「I understand you haven’t seen each other in a while, don’t mind me.」

They had likely not seen each other in centuries, maybe even millenia. Mira decided to give them some space to catch up with each other, sitting a distance away from them and enjoying an afternoon snack of cookies and All-Seasons au Lait. She was feeling fully at home already.

「I’m happy enough knowing where you’ve been until now. Taking a consultant role with Mira there has also made my life more interesting lately.」

The Spirit King looked genuinely relieved, and then looked at Mira with a smile. Mira also smiled at him, looking slightly confused by the way he phrased that. Understanding their friendly relationship, Martel also smiled.

The Spirit King explained the difference between Primitive Spirits and Originator Spirits, they were similar in some aspects, but were completely different entities.

There were a few Primitive Spirits reigning over plants just like Martel. They held a position in the highest ranks of the Spirit Realm, and Primitive Spirits of flowers or trees were a step below them.

Originator Spirits came first though, and were the first ones before Primitive Spirits appeared. In other words, Martel controlled the first plants that existed in the beginning of the world. The first tree, the ancient Gopher, had been created by Martel.

Essentially Martel was the mother of nature, who created all vegetation of the world.

「That’s… I’m lost for words…」

Hearing just what kind of legendary creature Martel was, Mira felt like she was standing in a position far away from her reach. But it was always possible to come to an understanding and interact somehow.

The Spirit King looked entertained by Mira’s shocked reaction to that revelation, while Martel took a slightly more confident pose being introduced as a spirit above the highest ranks.

She had lived for an extremely long time, but she still had emotions, intelligence, and her own personality, just like anyone else. Talking to her was no different than any other person.

The Spirit King and an Originator Spirit, two legendary creatures, but the way they interacted seemed extremely humane, filling Mira with a strange familiarity which made her feel a bit closer to them again.

「That’s not their only difference though.」

After the Spirit King had seen enough of Mira’s shock, he continued talking. He looked at Martel, his gaze telling her to show Mira.

「You haven’t changed at all, Lord Sym.」

It seemed like impressing or surprising people was something the Spirit King had always enjoyed doing. Martel smiled seeing how entertained the Spirit King looked and walked up to Mira. While Martel had said the Spirit King was still the same, she also looked excited to surprise Mira, it seemed like her emotions easily showed on her face.

Mira also looked ready for whatever was going to happen.

「Would you like some fruit to go along with your snacks? What’s your favorite fruit?」

Martel said that, looking at the cookies Mira was eating. That gave Mira a good hint as to what was about to happen.

(I see, she’s the Originator Spirit of plants. She’ll probably grow and give me whatever fruit I mention. Heheh, I’ve seen through you, you can’t shock me now!)

「Let me think… the Pure White Peaches I had in Alispharius were truly delicious.」

Mira had gone there following Soul Howl’s trail, and tried the local specialty, Pure White Peaches. That was the fruit that had left the strongest impression on her from amongst the varied assortment she tried in high class inns.

Mira hunched forward a little, daring her to show off her skills. A single vine sprouted up in front of Mira, a beautiful white flower on its tip.

「Pure White Peaches are one of my masterpieces. I’m glad you like them.」

Martel appreciated Mira’s response. Meanwhile the white flower fell off, something round swelling up in its place, eventually turning into a Pure White Peach.

「Well, eat up Mira.」

Martel plucked the Pure White Peach and offered it to Mira. It was all a wondrous and incredible sight, but Mira had anticipated all of that to happen, so her expression remained unchanged.

(It’s just what I expected. This isn’t enough to surprise me!)

「Thank you.」

Mira calmly accepted it and then began picking on the peach’s skin. That made Martel say 「I made its skin really thin, you can eat it without peeling.」

「O-oh. I see… alright then.」

That made Mira realize, Martel had created all nature, making a fruit’s skin thinner was no effort at all for her. So Mira bit into the peach, skin and all.

「This is good! Why is it so different?!」

A mellowy sweet flavor filled Mira’s mouth the moment she bit into the fruit, a flood of nectar squished out of its pulp. She had eaten Pure White Peaches in a high class inn in Alispharius, so those were carefully picked to be the best. But the one she was eating now easily overshadowed those, its flavor far superior. It was like this fruit could fully satisfy one’s appetite.

Even though Mira had been prepared for something like that, she still voiced her surprise as her face was filled with pure bliss.

「Originator Spirits truly are something else…」

Mira ate the Pure White Peach in a trance, going as far as to lick every drop of juice that remained on her fingers. Martel watched that with a sense of victory, which made Mira glare at her once she was done eating.

「I’m really glad it was to your liking, heheh. I’m in a good mood, so I’ll take another request. Is there any other fruit you’d like to try? I wouldn’t mind giving you a second Pure White Peach too.」

Those words sounded almost like a tempting invitation from the devil. She could taste that dreamlike flavor again, or she could experience that same bliss from a different fruit.

「I see… then…」

(…No, not yet. I can’t lose here!)

Just when Mira was about to ask for another Pure White Peach, enticed by that taste, she stopped. Falling for that temptation was starting to fill her with a sense of defeat, which made her think calmly again.

She calmly analyzed her current situation.

(Pure White Peaches… that was the worst possible choice.)

Martel had called them one of her masterpieces, so she knew how to make them the best. It was impossible for Mira to win against that if she chose Martel’s specialty.

Mira had walked right into her opponent’s palm for the first round. But that would not happen again, Mira would have the advantage for the second round.

Humans could always harness information and wring out a solution, even when faced with the might of nature. That was how humans survived in this beautiful but harsh world. So Mira thought of a way for her to win now.

「I would like a Queen of Hearts next then!」

Queen of Hearts. A fruit produced after hundreds of selective breeding cycles. The culmination of human effort and history, condensed into a gem-like fruit. In a way, they were proof that human intelligence could triumph over nature. At least those were the thoughts Mira had as she picked that fruit as her second request.

Martel and the Spirit King relished in surprising others, and Mira refused to be the object of their satisfaction. There was a short pause after Mira made her second request though.

「What is a Queen of Hearts?」

Eventually Martel tilted her head and asked with a quizzical voice. The Spirit King also added, 「I’ve never heard that name before.」

Both the Spirit King and Martel had lived in seclusion, essentially never interacting with the outside world or humans, so they had no way of knowing what fruits were selectively bred, or what name they were given.

They could not even start to imagine what kind of fruit a Queen of Hearts was. They asked Mira to elaborate, but she herself had only heard the name, and had no way to answer their inquiries.

It seemed like the match was about to fall apart, but Mira still had the nameless fruit in her inventory, which had been the basis to breed the Queen of Hearts. The match was not over yet.